Devil's Backbone acquired

I'm going to bend the rules and repost since the other thread didn't indicate the topic, which is of interest given the location of the brewery:

interesting. This article* from a year ago suggests DB might be a target while A-B (in-bev) is on the hunt for more craft breweries to buy. Interesting note about Starr Hill in there too; its owner is a very smart businessman, though.

It's funny that A-B runs those Bud ads making fun of craft beers, and that one of its biggest sellers is "tap water with a slight hint of beer aroma and a suggestion of hops and malt" (Bud light). Gotta cover all bases.

Might not be the end, if corporate leaves them alone to make good beer. I know that some of the best distilleries are owned by behemoths who make rot-gut but their distillers tell me that they run their own product. There is also a fragile dynamic with can availability, and probably bottles, so having the big weight may help.

It's under A-B's "high end" division which they describe thus:

About The High End
The High End is a business unit of Anheuser-Busch, created to provide its unique craft and European import brands with autonomy and support for growth, while fostering a collaborative environment for the brightest brewers in the beer community. The High End brings dedicated resources to support the growth of its brands, create successful partnerships and deliver more variety to consumers. Established now, The High End includes brands such as Stella Artois and Shock Top, along with craft breweries Goose Island, Blue Point, 10 Barrel, Elysian, Golden Road, Virtue Cider, Four Peaks and Breckenridge Brewery.

*http://www.marketwatch.com/story/anheuser-busch-should-buy-these-craft-beer-brewers-next-2015-02-12

Here's another article (flack)
beerpulse.com/2016/04/anheuser-busch-inbev-acquires-virginia-based-devils-backbone-as-next-brewery-for-high-end-4191/

When does a craft beer outgrow being "craft"? It's a real conundrum in the industry and the same is occurring with the whiskeys, especially bourbon.

Devil's Backbone went from 10,000 to 45,000 barrels a year. That sounds big to me even though I don't know the scale too much. But consider how Sierra Nevada was the real pioneer in getting domestic beer away from just "pale yellow" (used to, imports were the only option) and on a larger scale. Then Sam Adams--which I don't like but the idea is the same--ran industrial craft beer.

So will A-B take DB up to 450,000 barrels? Leave them at 45K? Drop back to make a market? Leave them their small Virginia operations but have a secret mill in Detroit?

In the whiskey world, they may label all of a sub-brand "hand crafted" when only a small portion is, and the bulk is factory made. I think there were lawsuits over this against Tito's allegedly hand-crafted Texas vodka.

Then the snuck Beck's here without telling anyone it was all made domestic--until they were sued. Same trick decades ago with Lowenbrau and Tuborg.

Anheuser-Busch is one of my customers so hopefully we get some work out of this deal. The picture below is the room where the beechwood aging takes place. I found myself alone in this room on one of my trips. Each of these vats holds 200,000 six packs of beer and is rotated (new batch) every 30 days. This is one of thirteen US AB breweries. There are vats as far as the eye can see. I felt like Norm on Cheers and just wanted to hug one of these vats .

I had not heard/read about this. Makes me sad. Was one of our local breweries. Blue Mountain a bit closer but DB made for a nice afternoon ride. Wonder what will happen to the fall music fest? Very, very sad ...

I honestly don't think you will be able to tell any difference in their Base Camp operation. I predict they will continue to operate the brewpub just as before. There will be the same beers sold there. They will not convert all the taps to Bud Lite. They will continue to employ however many local folks they currently employ.

Okay ... that is funny! And thanks TOO for the links. I'm not so current on current events it seems.

i'm really torn on this. DB is one of my absolute favorite brands. my heart really sank when i heard the news today. hell, i still picked up a case on the way home today. in the article below, there is an interview with the founder. he mentions that they wanted to develop the rest of the land and expand, but were unable to get loans from any banks. he basically says that this is the alternative. they will have the funds they need to do what they wanted originally. it really just depends on how much control AB has, or asserts, over DB.

www.richmond.com/food-drink/drinks/article_d4e42f38-fd7f-5d8f-9b8e-5ee8b503cfc5.html